SALT LAKE CITY -- NBA games are usually full of chatter on the court. But some of the things the Sacramento Kings said to Joe Ingles made Donovan Mitchell take notice.
Ingles can talk trash with the best of them, and it gets him going, but Mitchell turned his indignation into aggression for the Utah Jazz.
"Somebody said something to Joe, and I'm gonna be honest, Joe gave an answer that I hadn't heard in a while," Mitchell said without revealing details. "It just fired me up, and when Joe gets angry, I get angry. ... That's really what turned the tide.''
Mitchell scored 14 of his season-high 42 points in the fourth quarter, and the Jazz beat the Kings 128-112 on Saturday night, extending their franchise-record home winning streak to 24 games.
Mitchell tallied his 18th 30-point game this season, but it took him a while to heat up after a slow start. His ability to penetrate the lane on almost every possession powered a 19-4 run in the fourth quarter.
"The biggest thing was we just found a way to win," Mitchell said. "It was ugly, and I didn't shoot the ball well. We made a few mistakes defensively and a bunch of mistakes offensively, as we were kind of stagnant.
"But the team that we want to be in July wins games like this.''
Mitchell has scored 41, 37 and 42 points in his past three games -- numbers that haven't been posted for the Jazz since Karl Malone scored more than 35 in a trio of contests almost three decades ago.
Mitchell and Ingles wouldn't divulge what made the trash talk in this game especially motivating, but Ingles said: "It lights something up in me that makes the game fun.''
Mike Conley had 26 points and Ingles added 20 as the Jazz scored 69 points in the second half to power past Sacramento.
Ingles, who had a running conversation with several Kings, emphatically shouted after each of his three 3s fueled Utah's 24-5 run that gave the Jazz a 98-89 lead early in the fourth period.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Link LonkApril 11, 2021 at 12:45PM
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Donovan Mitchell fired up by Joe Ingles' trash talk with Sacramento Kings, scores season-high 42 in Utah Jazz's win - ESPN
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